Watching the final moments of yesterday's Redskins game — I presume there's no one out there who hasn't seen it — I couldn't help but think about all the embarrassing moments that franchise has experienced in the last decade or so.

The list is epic, ranging from Dan Turk's botched snap in the 1999 playoffs, to Marty Schottenheimer beginning his lone season as coach 0-5, to Steve Spurrier's "5 and 11, not very good" team in 2003, to Joe Gibbs getting penalized for calling two consecutive timeouts, to Jim Zorn calling for two consecutive fake field goals, to Albert Haynesworth getting suspended for four games, to yesterday's trainwreck of an extra-point attempt.

I also couldn't help but think of a handful of embarrassing moments in Nationals history, though I'm not sure any one moment tops yesterday's follies at FedEx Field. Off the top of my head, here are my candidates for "Most Embarrassing Moment in Nationals History." I'm not talking about the most crushing losses or the most lopsided games. I'm talking about legitimately embarrassing moments after which all you could do was pick your jaw up off the floor, shake your head and perhaps even chuckle a bit at your team's misfortune.

Here's what I came up with…

CRISTIAN GUZMAN'S MUDDY BALL ERRORApril 21, 2005The Nationals led the Braves 1-0 at RFK Stadium, where a steady rain had turned the infield into a mess. The umpiring crew decided to try to finish this one without calling for the tarp. Chad Cordero, as onlyRead more »

I don't know that I'd call the Guzman mud ball game embarrassing. It was a tough way to lose a game, sure, and you can argue that play should have been suspended before it could have happen. But embarrassing? No, it's just a thing that happened in a ballgame.Now, how about the National Tarp Pull against the Mets in 2005? That was ridiculous.

I think Roger Bernadina's baserunning gaffe this season was worse than Logan's. At least Logan had some possible reason to round third- maybe the throw gets away and he can score, or maybe it's just force of habit. There was no conceivable explanation as to why Bernadina would need a big lead off second down two runs. I also recall that it came just as the Nats were in the midst of a terrible run of losses in which they squandered their 25-20 start on their way to another season of irrelevance.

A great and pretty comprehensive list Mark. A few others that I remember off the top of my head — "Anderson Hernandez, never saw the ball"Bob Carpenter's call of this used to be the audio lead in to FJB's podcast. It was a show rolling bunt toward third. Zim and the pitcher converged on it. Hernandez, covering first, must have been watching Zim and thought that Zim had the ball and didn't make a throw. The pitcher's throw to first went right by him. "Mike Hinkley's errant pitch into the stands behind first base"Kind of like Chico's and just as funny."Anderson Hernandez error was caused by the cut of the grass."Actually, the embarrassing moment was not Hernandez's error, it was Manny Acta making that unbelievably lame excuse for him. One of many lame excuses that Manny made while he was here — like constantly saying the Nats were a young team, still learning, even when that was demonstrably not true."Matt LeCroy's attempt to play catcher and Frank Robinson's tearful apology." By the way, accounts of Nyjer's meltdown seem to always say that Nyjer spiked his glove — but he never actually let go of it. So it was more like a pho spike, or an interrupted spike. Watch the video. Still, plenty embarrassing.

Embarrassing?? How about letting Dunn get away to the ChiSox? And they were supposedly quibbling over a 3 or 4 year contract, while hitching Werth up for 7 years!!!! Imagine Werth and Dunn in the same lineup!!DUMB!

Oh, and I almost forgot — "Guzman's sad attempt to play right field in the bottom of the 9th or 10th in that tragic May 2010 game against Houston."This was the game the Nats should have won because Berkman's "check swing" was actually strike 3. The embarrassment was not Guzzie's fault, it was Riggleman's doubleswitchitis and his assumption that infielders can play outfield. He did the same thing with Desmond in the September of 2009.

Oh there are so many….Anthing to do with Lasting Milledge and keeping track of outs was bad. Dukes and his crotch grab and Lenny Harris and his softball chants….BUT I agree the worst EVER was opening day 2010…..in my lower bowl 1B/RF section…..90% drunk Phils fans booing Ryan Z and our training staff….Phils fans who pissed all over the parking lot in front of my family and even tried to make my two daughters take off their Nats caps before they would move so they could open the car door.Mark has always missed the level of disgust and embarrassment Stan Kasten caused that day. From his Press box view it all seemed OK maybe 30% Phils fans……Mark you still do not get it do you?

You'd need to build a new wing onto your Hall of Shame to handle all the Jim Bowden embarrassments. Here are four off the top of my head:"We pray for his buttocks and his family.""Who's farting in here?"Announcing the non-tendering of Chad Cordero months ahead of time, on a radio show, without having informed Cordero first.Wearing a Manny Ramirez wig when the Dodgers were in town.

The look on Zim's face really made that hidden ball a classic–he looked like he had just taken a big swig of sour milk and could not get the taste out of his mouth.Gotta go with OD 2010 for #1, tho. Even misspelled (#2), this team name isn't inherently embarassing. And Mike Bacsik didn't cover them in glory by grooving one to Bonds (inadvertently or not).

NYJER MORGAN'S TANTRUM IN CENTER FIELDMay 22, 2010That's the winner along with his WWF fist pumps walking off the field after his brawl wit the Marlins.Nyjer, remind me again why he is penciled in as the CF starter? That is embarassing.

I would say the current Ryan Zimmerman commercials for Mercedes Benz are embarassing in a funny way. Kazoos, digadigaroos and dancing.Nyjer Morgan as a player is a joke and an embarassment to the current franchise.Still my tops in embarassing the previous owners of the franchise was when MLB hired Jim Bowden and his many actions to follow including SmileyGate, Austin Kearns, Austin Kearns extension and after Opening Day 2006 when he got arrested:"On Sunday evening in Miami Beach, Fla., I was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. I intend to plead not guilty at a future date in a Miami Dade court. I deeply regret any embarrassment that my arrest may cause the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball. "On the advice of legal counsel, I will have no further comment regarding this incident until the court proceedings are complete."Nothing tops Jim Bowden. A clown and a man not to be trusted.

I was at a Mets – Nationals game that first season in RFK. A major rain storm hit and the grounds crew couldn’t get the tarp down before the field got soaked and unplayable. It was like they never had any training on how to put the trap down, vendors were coming from the stands trying to help. It was just embarrassing – and funny .

Focus, people."I'm talking about legitimately embarrassing *moments* after which all you could do was pick your jaw up off the floor, shake your head and perhaps even chuckle a bit at your team's misfortune."

Dave said… Those Zim commercials are great! But I only heard them when they were linked to from the Sportsbog about a year ago. Have they started running on the radio? They run on the radio, hear them all the time on 980am. I love the talking British one, "Dentist, what's a dentist?"

July 23rd, 2007 and Nick Logan…LORD!I was at that game and the funny thing was the very next summer I was at a Blue Crabs game in Waldorf and Nick Logan was playing centerfield for the opposing team. LOL!

Howzabout Willie Harris fields a ball with his crotch (sorry, guys)?—sec3 said…Focus, people."I'm talking about legitimately embarrassing *moments* after which all you could do was pick your jaw up off the floor, shake your head and perhaps even chuckle a bit at your team's misfortune."

Two years ago, Willie Harris took one in the man zone when he wasn't wearing his house. He writhed in pain for what seemed like 10 minutes. New info to me revealed in this column:1) That "the Hall of Fame had asked every team in baseball to send in three player jerseys from Opening Day. The Nats chose Zimmerman, Dunn and Elijah Dukes." Elijah Dukes???2) You mean there were at least 22 other Natinals jerseys in the clubhouse?

joemktg said…New info to me revealed in this column:1) That "the Hall of Fame had asked every team in baseball to send in three player jerseys from Opening Day. The Nats chose Zimmerman, Dunn and Elijah Dukes." Elijah Dukes???2) You mean there were at least 22 other Natinals jerseys in the clubhouse?No, the only new batch of jerseys they had to order were for Zim, Dunn and Dukes. And I believe only the Zim and Dunn jerseys had the misspelling.

How can anyone forget Paul Lo Duca impersonating a left fielder in late Spring or early Summer 2008? After a horrendous inning or two, he then had the good sense to — at least as it appeared to my 9-year-old daughter and me — fake an injury while jogging to the outfield, thus avoiding any continuation of the sad charade we had been watching. Quite frankly I was embarrassed for him, not by him.

Remember the night that they gave out the cheap umbrellas (I think they were umbrellas) at the game. They gave them out after the game, didn't have enough people to do the job, blocked the exits and wound up throwing them to (some might say at) the fans. Some got two or three; some got none.

Keith, that's a key distinction, imo. In a number of the episodes in question, I was embarrassed for rather than by a player. In some other cases (as with Zimm), I just thought the situation was funny. Another funny one that comes to mind is Dmitri trying to catch a pop fly and landing on his behind. I couldn't help but laugh along with him in that case.

The time the sniper got Kearns! Yes!And was it Patterson who drilled a throw intended for first into the ground in front of himself? Or the circus music playing in our heads (c'mon, you know it was) every time Nick got "under" a popup?

The circa 2009 MASN Commercials were so embarassing. Both the Baltimore and Washington segments had the worst dialogue and the "actors" looked like they came straight from a homeless shelter.The only good thing is we got "Who, Wil Nieves".

natsfan1a said… And waddu eye no's funny/embarrassing distinction was good, too, imo.*******************Well, then you've got to draw a line between "embarrassed" and "shamed"–like not being allowed to expand the roster in Sept. 2005 in a playoff race.

Anybody remember the time Zim was on first with one out. The batter hit a fly ball and Zim started jogging all the way to third when he realized his mistake he just stopped, smiled and waited to be doubled off base. A true little league double play! I can't remember who the Nats were playing that day but I am pretty sure it was at RFK. Anybody remember the details on that one?

Anonymous said… Anybody remember the time Zim was on first with one out. The batter hit a fly ball and Zim started jogging all the way to third when he realized his mistake he just stopped, smiled and waited to be doubled off base._____Yes, I was at that game; I don't know who the opponent was but I remember thinking that it must have been an awful walk to face Frank Robinson after that gaffe. I don't believe that is the only time that happened with Zimm; I seem to remember another occasion at the new park

and then there's that Rockies game last year, when Hawpe homered in the top of the second, and they 86'd a perfectly excellent customer for stepping on their [AB] grass in the batters' eye. All-time low point there. Still costing them.

The Guz throw was not embarrasing I was there for the whle game sitting in the rain. What was embarrasing was that MLB did not respect the Nats enough to call the game that was the worse field conditions I have ever seen.

Wow, glad that spring training will be here soon.Still, have to go with Nook and the last out of the game against the Indians. I immediately gave away my free give away hat for the game. Whenever I see it, I shudder. Oh, and any game Jerome Williams pitched.

Ugh…now the Phillies appear to be the possible front-runners for Cliff Lee, depending upon who you read/listen to. That's bad news for us – can you imagine their rotation, led by Halladay and Lee? Please stay in the AL, Cliff!

Oh, as for the topic at hand, I vote for Nook's baserunning blunder. But another one I remember that I haven't seen here yet, from May 20, 2009, is Joel Hanrahan's walk-off wild pitch against the Pirates after Lannan pitched a gem of a game. Or there's also the game where Hanrahan uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the Mets to walk-off after 14 innings on April 18, 2008.

Lee turns down Yankees money to go to Philly, of all places. Well, the small measure of schadenfreude in this is that the Yankees now know what it's like to have a higher offer turned down by the prize free agent of the offseason.

Bobo, wait till their arms start falling off and you are burdened with salaries that will bury your team. We all know how the Phillie fans will be when you start losing, you will abandon your team just like you all have done before.Anyone can buy a Playoff team, the Yankees have been doing it for years and so have the Phillies.Good luck tool!

NatsJack, They (the Philthies) do look pretty scary for the next year or 2 provided they don't all spend half the year on the DL (very likely for Rollins, Uttley, Howard, Ibanez, Polanco) and you have to figure that at least one of Oswalt, Lee or Halladay will have some kind of health issue. I guess our hope is that when their window closes ours will just start opening.

Was at the Goozie game, the embaressing part is nothing to do with the Gooz. It was Vidro waving his arms up and down trying to get the grounds crew out to put down turface, and being ignored. AFTER the top of 9th, they put it down for the Braves.And from my seat, it didn't look like LoDuca "faked" an injury. Looked like he "LoPuka"-ed.

That Slowes call was great Mark… thanks for posting it. LOLI was at that Guzman mud throw game. That was a heartbreaker.I've got at least one more:2005 in July sometime. Nats in first place, shocking the world . They have a robot sing the National Anthem, and we go on a total reversal from that point on, finishing at 81-81.BTW, Steve M… don't feed the trolls.